The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are holding dozens of civilians who fled El Fasher in the town of Abu Zereqa under harsh conditions, according to testimonies from former detainees shared with Sudan Tribune.
The RSF and allied groups intercept fleeing civilians attempting to reach safer areas, detaining or shooting them. Sources indicate the forces operate multiple detention sites around El Fasher, including a prison at the medical supplies headquarters in southeast El Fasher, a new camp at Al-Sail in the far northeast, and another facility in Zamzam IDP camp.
Ahmed Abu Al-Qasim, a former detainee from the Al-Wadi neighborhood, reported over 150 people held in a school in Abu Zereqa. Detainees include women, children, and the elderly, some suffering life-threatening injuries in urgent need of medical care.
The RSF has reportedly converted containers into detention cells, where detainees face physical torture, denied medical treatment, and forced blood extraction. Two recently released witnesses said the RSF extorted large sums from detainees’ families for release; one was freed after his family paid five million Sudanese pounds (approx. $1,500 USD).
